Device for aligning and maintaining superposed pieces of flexible sheet material

ABSTRACT

The device according to the invention is constituted by a plate and movable elements comprising a first stop for alignment of a first piece of material and at least one assembly fixture comprising a separating blade and an additional stop for aligning another piece of material, all of said movable elements being mounted and arranged in order to be capable of assuming selectively either a rest position which is distant from the plate or a work position when said elements have been superposed successively on said plate.

United States Patent Guichard Nov. 13, 1973 [54] DEVI E F R ALIGNING A3,172,379 3/1965 Light 112/121.12 MAI T SUPERPOSED PIECES OF 2,304,01112/1942 Naftali 269/303 X 2,399,584 4/1946 Thomas 270/58 FLEXIBLE SHEETMATERIAL 2,811,121 10/1957 Bihaly 1l2/l21.15 [75] Inventor: JeanGuichard, Yerres, Essonne, 2,826,158 3/1958 Phillips, Jr. 112/121.15

France [73] Assignee: Centre DEtudes Techniques Des Industries DeLHabillement, Paris, Pr'mary Exafnmer lames Boler FranceAtt0rneyR1chards & Geier {22] Filed: Jan. 14, 197.1

[21] Appl. No.: 106,456

[57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 30, 1970France 7003279 The device according to the invention is constituted by aplate and movable elements comprising a first 52 us. (:1 112/121.1s,269/10, 270/58, Stop for alignment of a first piece of material and at223 1 least one assembly fixture comprising a separating 51 Int; Cl D05c9/04 blade and an additional Stop for aligning another piece [58] Fieldof Search 112/121.12, 121.15, of material, of Said movable elementsbeing 112 9 2; 2 9 9 0 37 40 152 54 303 mounted and arranged in order tobe capable of as 304 30 100 199 200 202; 223/1; 270/5 suming selectivelyeither a rest position which is dis- 271/ tant from the plate or a workposition when said elements have been superposed successively on said[56] References Cited P UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,194,803 3/1940 Lucas269/154 X 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDuunsnm 3771.475 SHEET 20F2 NVENTOR: J. Guzlchczrd dhckw af-gw ATTOR-NSSs DEVICE FOR ALIGNING ANDMAINTAINING SUPERPOSED PIECES OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL The inventionis concerned with the alignment and positional maintenance of superposedpieces formed of flexible sheet materials such as woven or non-wovenfabrics, coated fabrics, plastic materials and the like in order tosubject said pieces of material to a subsequent operation consisting ofjoining together either by sewing or bonding or alternatively to anoperation such as marking, notching, cutting and so forth as in the casein particular in the clothing industry or in the manufacture of campingarticles or inflated toys.

One known expedient for aligning and holding in position pieces ofmaterial which are formed of superposed flexible sheets consists of atemplate-stop which is fixed on the table on which the pieces ofmaterial are to be aligned. The first piece of material is thereforelaid flat on the table in order that its edge should be placed againstthe template-stop edge which may be shaped. The second piece of materialis then laid over the first while endeavouring to ensure that its edgeis also aligned against the template. However, this operation is not aneasy one to carry out since there is a danger of displacement of thefirst piece of material while attempting to place the second in thecorrect position. If the number of superposed pieces of material to bealigned is greater than two, the operation is even more difficult andcan even prove materially impossible.

Other devices of improved design which are also known comprise aperforated table for receiving the first piece of material against atemplate while said first piece of material is held in position on thetable as a result of suction through the perforations of the table, aseparating sheet formed of impermeable plastic material, for example, islaid on said first piece of material, there being then placed on saidsheet a second piece of material which is aligned against the template.This alignment can be carried out conveniently since the second piece ofmaterial slides over the separating sheet of plastic material withoutany danger of disturbing the first piece. However, when the number ofpieces to be aligned and held in position is greater than two, it isreadily apparent that the method employed in this device is no longersuitable by reason of the fact that the second piece cannot bepositionnally maintained as a result of the sucking action since thisaction is stopped by the separating sheet.

The aim of the invention is to provide a device which serves to alignand maintain pieces of material and which is both simple inconstructional design and convenient to use irrespective of the numberof superposed pieces employed.

To this end, the device according to the invention is constituted by aplate and movable elements comprising a first stop for alignment of afirst piece of material and at least one assembly comprising aseparating blade and an additional stop for aligning another piece ofmaterial, all of said movable elements being mounted and arranged inorder to be capable of assuming selectively either a rest position whichis distant from the plate or a work position when said elements havebeen superposed successively on said plate.

By means of said device, any desired number of su- 65 posed piece restson a separating blade which permits of convenient alignment of saidpiece without any danger of moving the piece which is locatedimmediately underneath. The movable elements are then moved away fromthe pieces which are applied against each other in their respectivepositions in which they are maintained by any suitable means.

In accordance with a further property of the invention which furtherenhances the ease of use of the device, an additional movable element isplaced along at least one of the alignment stops and forms a piececlampwhich has a smaller thickness than said stop.

A better understanding of the invention will be obtained from thefollowing description and from the accompanying drawings which show byway of example without any intended limitation a few embodiments ofdevices for aligning and maintaining superposed pieces of material inaccordance with the invention.

In these drawings FIG. 1 is a cutaway view in perspective showing afirst embodiment according to the invention in the work position FIG. 2is a view on a larger scale showing a detail of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective showing the same device as in FIG. 1 butin the rest position FIG. 4 is a cutaway view in perspective showing asecond embodiment in the work position FIG. 5 is a sectional view on alarger scale showing a detail of FIG. 4.

The device which is illustrated in the work position in FIG. 1 and inthe rest position in FIG. 3 is intended to permit of convenientalignment and positional maintenance of superposed pieces of flexiblesheet material.

Said device essentially comprises a plate which is stationary in thisexample and consists of a horizontal table 1 which is supported on legssuch as the leg 1A, movable elements such as the elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,a bearing-bracket 9 which carries said elements and is capable ofvertical motion on a carriage 11. As shown diagrammatically, saidcarriage is capable of moving on roller tracks such as the track 13which rests on supports 13A. The carriage 11 is fitted with a lockingdevice 12 of any suitable type (not shown in the drawings) in order thatthe bracket 9 may be secured in position at a suitable height.

The movable element 2 is an alignment template-stop which is rigidlyfixed to the bracket 9 by means of angle-iron members 10, for example.

The movable elements 3 to 6 to which further reference will be madehereinafter are designed in the form of rules or plates of elongatedshape which are supported at one end by bars 15, 16, l7, 18respectively, said bars being pivotally mounted on a horizontal crosspin19 which is carried by the bracket 9 and at the other end by similararms (not shown).

In the example which is illustrated, the arms 15 to 18 are integralrespectively with further arms 22, 23, 24, 25 which are joined tocorresponding arms on the other side of the device by means of spacermembers 26, 27, 28, 29 which are disposed beneath the table 1 and bymeans of which the aforesaid movable elements can be actuated either byhand or from any suitable mechanical or automatic control meansaccording to the applications which are contemplated.

The template-stop 2 has a front edge 32 which is suitably shaped so asto serve as a bearing edge for the first piece of material A to bealigned (as also shown in FIG. 2). The profile of said template can beidentical with that of the edge of the piece A or different from thislatter, depending on whether the profile of the piece is either intendedto be modified or not during positioning.

The movable element 3 is a piece-clamping rule which maintains the edgeof the piece of material A well applied against the table ll afteralignment. The piece-clamp 3 is provided in the form of a rule whichfollows the shaped or rectilinear edge 32 of the template-stop 2.

The movable element 4 is made up of two parts, namely a plate 4a whichis intended to serve as a separating surface between the first piece ofmaterial A and the second piece B which will be laid on the first. Theother part 4b of the movable element 4 is of greater thickness and hasan edge 35 which consitutes a second template-stop for the second pieceB to be aligned. The profile of said alignment stop can be the same asthat of the first stationary stop 32 or else different according to theapplications which are contemplated.

The movable element 5 is another piece-clamping rule which is similar tothe piece-clamp 3 and is therefore intended to hold the piece ofmaterial B in position once it has been suitably aligned.

The movable element 6 is similar to the movable element 4 and thereforehas a portion 6a which forms a separating blade and a portion 6b havingan edge 37 which forms a template-stop for a third piece of material Cto be aligned. Finally, a plate 51 (shown in FIG. 2) which forms part ofan associated apparatus, for example, carries a strip of plastic foam 52which is intended to bear on the aligned pieces of material. There canin any case be employed for this purpose any suitable holding devicesuch as, for example, one of the devices described and illustrated inFrench patent Application No. 6,942,305 as filed by the presentApplicant on Dec. 8, 1969 and entitled Device for displacing andaligning pieces of flexible materials in layers".

The aligning and maintaining device of FIG. 1 to 3 is used as followsWhen the carriage II has been moved forward, the bearing-bracket 9 whichis set at a height such that the template-stop 2 comes to rest exactlyon the table I and the movable elements 3 to 6 have been lifted as shownin FIG. 3, a first piece of material A can be aligned on the table 1against the edge 32 of the template-stop 2. The movable element 3 islowered onto the piece A in order to ensure that this latter cannot moveduring the operations involving alignment of the other pieces ofmaterial.

The movable element 4 is then moved down against the template-stop 2 sothat the blade 4a should cover that portion of the piece A which isadjacent to the template-stop 2 and that the second piece B maytherefore be laid without difficulty on the first while bringing theedge of said piece against the edge 35 of the portion 4b of said secondmovable element 4.

The movable element 5 which is a piece-clamp is moved downwards againstthe piece B in order to secure this latter in position.

Finally, the movable element 6 is displaced downwards and this will makeit possible to place the third piece C in position with ease in orderthat the edge of this latter can be brought against the edge 37 of saidmovable element.

In short, each time a fresh piece of material is brought into alignment,this operation is carried out on a blade such as the blade 4a or 611which ensures that said piece of material is perfectly isolated from thepieces which have previously been positioned, only those parts of pieceswhich are in the vicinity of the edges to be aligned being isolated. Thefact that the other parts of said pieces of material are applied againsteach other and may thus result in puckering of the material is of noconsequence. The plate 51 is then moved downwards and the strip 52applies the aligned portions of the pieces A, B, C against the table Iso that all the movable elements can then be moved away in this exampleby withdrawing the carriage 11 and thus freeing the edges of the pieceson which work can be carried out while they are held in position on thetable.

A device of this type can be employed for pieces of material which mayor may not have the same composition, profile or length and which may ormay not have undergone previous operations. The alignment of each pieceof material along any rectilinear or curved profile can be carried outconveniently without any consequential effect on the other pieces ofmaterial.

The complete aligning and maintaining device can alone constitute anapparatus for preparation of work. The device can also be considered aseither an ancillary or integrated portion of an automatic unit havingthe function of a sub-assembly for preparation, presentation, positionalmaintenance, or even in the form of an assembly such as a carriage forguiding pieces of material during one or a number of operations.

In FIG. 4, there is shown an alternative form of construction whichdiffers essentially from the embodiment of FIG. l to 3 in that itcomprises an additional top movable element for applying pressure to theuppermost piece of material, namely an element 45 in which is formed anopen portion 46 through which a work tool is permitted to pass. In theexample which is illustrated, the opening 46 is intended to permit theneedle of a sewing machine to pass through in order to attach a pocketpouch 47 to the reverse side of a trouser-leg 48. The pocket pouch 47 isthus maintained suitably in position at the desired distance from thetop edge of the piece of material 48, this being achieved without anyhesitation on the part of the operator by virtue of the template formedby said rotatablypositioned top movable element 45. Said element canalso perform the function of the plate 51 of FIG. 2.

A large number of alternative forms can be contemplated among themovable elements for aligning, maintaining and locating the differentsuperposed pieces of material, depending on the applications which areenvisaged. In the example which is illustrated, the bearing-bracket isreadily detachable and can therefore be replaced immediately by anotherbracket which is equipped with different movable elements.

As will be clearly understood, the invention is not limited to theembodiments which have been described in the foregoing with reference tothe accompanying drawings and which have been given solely by way ofexample many modifications can be made therein according to theapplications which are contemplated without consequently departing fromthe scope of the invention.

It thus follows in particular that instead of being a stationary table,the plate 1 could be a movable element which is mounted on a carriage,for example that the number of movable elements could be different fromthose of the embodiments which are illustrated that the movable elementsaforesaid could be supported by means which are wholly different fromthe means illustrated by way of example that the plate and movableelements need not be flat as illustrated but can have a differentconfiguration such as portions of cylindrical surfaces, for example, orany other suitable curved surfaces. What I claim is: l. A device foraligning and maintaining superposed a plurality of pieces of flexiblesheet material, comprising a plate having a positioning zone adapted toreceive a first piece of material, a first stop positioned on said plateadjacent said zone for alignment of the first piece of material on saidzone, at least one assembly having a blade and an additional stop, meansmounting said blade to said plate for movement of said blade relativelyto said plate from a position of rest distant from said plate to aworking position over said zone for receiving another piece of material,and means mounting said additional stop to said plate for movement ofsaid additional stop relatively to said plate from a position of restdistant from said plate to a working position substantially over thefirst-mentioned stop for alignment of the other piece of material.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein an additional element isplaced along at least one of the alignment stops and forms a piece-clamphaving a smaller thickness than the said stop.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment stop has thesame profile as the piece to be aligned.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the alignmentstops has a profile which is different from that of the piece to bealigned in order to modify the profile of the said piece.

5. A device for aligning and maintaining superposed pieces of flexiblesheet material, comprising a plate, a bracket, means mounting saidbracket to said plate for movement relatively to said plate, a shaftcarried by said bracket, arms pivotally mounted on said shaft andelements carried by said arms and comprising a stop for alignment of onepiece of material and at least one assembly comprisinga blade forseparating two successive pieces of material and an additional stop foraligning another piece of material, said elements being movable from aposition of rest distant from said plate to a work position wherein theyare superposed successively upon said plate and vice versa.

1. A device for aligning and maintaining superposed a plurality ofpieces of flexible sheet material, comprising a plate having apositioning zone adapted to receive a first piece of material, a firststop positioned on said plate adjacent said zone for alignment of thefirst piece of material on said zone, at least one assembly having ablade and an additional stop, means mounting said blade to said platefor movement of said blade relatively to said plate from a Position ofrest distant from said plate to a working position over said zone forreceiving another piece of material, and means mounting said additionalstop to said plate for movement of said additional stop relatively tosaid plate from a position of rest distant from said plate to a workingposition substantially over the firstmentioned stop for alignment of theother piece of material.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein anadditional element is placed along at least one of the alignment stopsand forms a piece-clamp having a smaller thickness than the said stop.3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment stop has thesame profile as the piece to be aligned.
 4. A device according to claim1, wherein at least one of the alignment stops has a profile which isdifferent from that of the piece to be aligned in order to modify theprofile of the said piece.
 5. A device for aligning and maintainingsuperposed pieces of flexible sheet material, comprising a plate, abracket, means mounting said bracket to said plate for movementrelatively to said plate, a shaft carried by said bracket, armspivotally mounted on said shaft and elements carried by said arms andcomprising a stop for alignment of one piece of material and at leastone assembly comprising a blade for separating two successive pieces ofmaterial and an additional stop for aligning another piece of material,said elements being movable from a position of rest distant from saidplate to a work position wherein they are superposed successively uponsaid plate and vice versa.